


A Lucky Catastrophe

by LadyCoccinelle



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, The thing everyone wants to see in the show for real
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-14 11:54:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8012845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyCoccinelle/pseuds/LadyCoccinelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ladybug has no choice but to bring Chat Noir to her room. As she panics about the consequences, she sees what could either be the best that happened to her, or the worst.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Safe and Sound

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the most beautiful edit ever made that you can find here: https://eizabet.tumblr.com/post/149102785658/hmm
> 
> Thank you Eizabet for letting me write this fic, I had so much fun !! This wonderful, sweet person also did a comic based on this !! Go feast your eyes on that wonderful piece with AMAZING backgrounds here: https://eizabet.tumblr.com/post/150234705343/as-long-as-her-minou-was-safe-and-sound-this?is_related_post=1

They were in a dire situation. “Think, Ladybug, think!” she muttered, clutching the limp body of her partner. Her thoughts were swirling and her panic rose as she couldn’t find a plan. 

She was hiding behind chimneys, but knew that if she didn’t move soon she would get caught. With Chat Noir unconscious, her options were limited. 

Rocking back and forth, nibbling on her lower lip, she looked down at him. His face didn’t express any pain or no emotions whatsoever as if he was merely asleep. She traced the contour of his mask, when a crazy, desperate idea emerged from her mind. She hesitated, weighed the pros and cons, but another look at her partner decided her. She assessed her surroundings and dashed off the roof. Passerby gasped at the sight, but she ignored them, didn’t even hear them as she tossed her yo-yo and made her way to her destination.

The bakery.

As she stopped on her balcony, she couldn’t believe the situation. Things could go so, so wrong and yet, at this moment, nothing could shake her determination. She only thought of her partner and how she wanted him safe and sound. As quietly as possible, she dragged him to her trapdoor. She gasped when he fell from her arms, slamming on her bed below. Wincing, she dropped down to check on him. His face was still the same, asleep, angelic, and she relieved a sigh. It would have been absurd to hurt him while trying to save him.

She sat in front of him, thinking, and released her transformation. She needed Tikki’s advices. 

“Oh, poor Chat Noir!” the red Kwami said as soon as she saw him. She fluttered closer, observing him intensely. 

“He looks unhurt,” said Marinette, but her eyebrows were furrowed in worry.

They looked at him in silence since there was nothing else they could do. Marinette hugged her knees, sighing.

“I think you made the right decision, Marinette… But are you fine with it? He might wake up any moment now and see you untransformed,” Tikki reminded her.

“I-t’s the best I could do,” she stammered, but she realized all the implications of her actions. “Oh no, Tikki! what should I do if he sees me? A-and in my room! What if my parents check on me?”

Marinette was flailing her arms, growing more tense with each second passing by. Then, without warning, a strong green lightning blinded her. She shielded her eyes and thought she heard Tikki gasp beside her. Blinking so the spots would disappear from her vision, the sight in front of her stopped her thoughts. Her mouth was hang open and her arms limp by her sides.

She stared at the boy in front of her — untransformed, her mind supplied. She looked at him with unfocused eyes, noting the similarities between the two boys. Tikki watched her from the side, waiting for a reaction.

Marinette sprang back to life and recoiled, barely containing a scream. 

The reality came crashing in her head. Before her, a boy with blond hair was laying on her bed in her room. Said boy was her partner as well as Adrien Agreste, whom she had had crush on since he first arrived at school.

She felt her heart go weak and her fingers go numb. They were the same person and she had never noticed. Alya had had a hunch, and she, Marinette, had thought it was foolish. What did they really know about each other?

“Isn’t this wonderful Marinette? Your luck has worked magic again!”

Marinette didn’t respond: she couldn’t get her mouth to work. Her world was starting to turn backwards. Nothing would be the same. 

“But is it better, or worse?” she thought, replacing a strand of hair that had drifted in front of his closed eyes.


	2. Dilemma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Marinette calms down, she realizes she still has a crisis to resolve, which may or may not involve kissing a boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who finally wrote chapter two. So impressed by myself.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it, and thank you for reading !

Marinette stared at him, mind going at a snail pace. The adrenaline that had pushed her up to here was beginning to subside and she felt tired. Numb. 

A voice pulled her out of her stupor: “So, no one worrying about me?”

Marinette looked down at Adrien, and on his chest sat a tiny black thing. With cat ears. Marinette blinked. 

"A Kwami?" 

The idea that Chat Noir also had a Kwami had never crossed her mind before. What did she know about him, really? 

"The name's Plagg. Got any cheese?"

“Plagg, you are rude!” said Tikki.

Marinette looked at them: “You know each other?” 

“Of course!” Tikki buzzed around her head. “We’ve known each other all our lives.”

Like Ladybug and Chat Noir. The pair, always together. She looked down at Adrien again, and her shoulders slumped. He hadn’t woken up yet.

"Plagg, what happened to Chat Noir?" asked Tikki.

"He got hit by that magic laser thing. Now he’s sleeping like a baby."

Marinette exhaled in relief as the tension left her body. That meant if she purified the akuma, he would wake up again. But then, she thought, she would have to defeat it alone. Her stomach turned into a knot.

"I'm hungry. Can I have cheese?" said Plagg, lazing on her pillow.

Marinette blinked. 

"Yeah, sure? Don’t you eat cookies like Tikki?”

“Ew," Plagg said with a disdainful grimace. She noticed how his sclera was the same green as Chat Noir. “I like cheese. Smelly, oldy, tasty cheese."

How life was like with such a stubborn Kwami? That explained the strange smell sometimes wafting from Adrien's bag. She really was the luckiest between them, she thought.

"I won't say anything else until I have my cheese, nor will I move!"

Sighing, Marinette left her room and went downstairs. They didn't have any "smelly, oldy cheese", so the annoying cat would have to deal with the brie they had. Before returning upstairs, she took some cookies from her special jar on the cooking counter. When Marinette had started baking cookies like crazy, her mother had worried. She didn't understand why her daughter was suddenly so interested in cookies, and only cookies. Her mother had tip toed around the subject, but had never asked directly. Since then, she only eyed the jar with a mysterious glint in her eyes that Marinette couldn't decipher.

Marinette returned to her room, but as she faced the door, her hand hovered above the door knob.

“You worry too much. These kids have been turning around in circles for long enough.”

“But they are unprepared!”

Marinette held her breath and put her ear on the door. The proverb, “curiosity killed the cat”, drifted through her mind, but she shook her head to concentrate on the conversation. 

“You always say that, but all is fine in the end.”

“Not always, Plagg. Not all of them get their happy ending."

Marinette opened the door. She had heard enough. Plastering an innocent smile on her face, she walked in. Her eyes fell on Adrien, still sleeping. His face was so peaceful.

As the Kwami ate, Marinette decided she needed a plan. Staying here worrying wouldn’t help her solve the problem, and she wanted to get rid of it, fast.

“So, does one of you know how to, I don’t know,” Marinette gestured to the boy sleeping on her bed, “deal with this?”

“Well,” Tikki started, “of course you can purify the akuma and that would wake him up. Probably.”

Probably? She didn’t want maybes, she wanted solutions that would work.

“Or you can break the curse,” Plagg said, mouth full.

“Curse?” Marinette said, alarmed. Nobody said anything about a curse before!

“Didn’t you hear the supervillain? What was her name again?”

“Malice.” 

Marinette was growing curious.

“Well, Malice said that she would curse every Prince so they wouldn’t be able to kiss their princess.”

“It almost sounds like a play. Maybe she is an actress,” said Marinette, thinking. Her thoughts came to a halt. “Wait! That means she consider Chat Noir, well, Adrien but she saw him as Chat Noir, as a Prince?” She could understand why Adrien would pass off as a Prince, but Chat Noir? The boy was a walking disaster, he had a cat costume and flirted with puns. How lame could that be? No Prince material at all.

“He does rescue you sometimes,” said Tikki.

“Pff! I rescue him way more than he returns the favor. I would be a much better prince!” Marinette said, her pride hurt a little. Sure, they were partners, but she was no damsel in distress. She was Ladybug, Paris’s savior, but no princess! Although, if it was Adrien, she wouldn't mind playing the role… She stopped that thought. But Adrien was Chat Noir. Now that she knew they were the same person, he felt different. More complete, somehow, like a cardboard cut-out that had become a figurine. That was a weird analogy, but that’s how it felt to her. As for her feelings... She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She didn't have time worry about such petty things.

Marinette was embarrassed. The whole situation was too much for her. Here she was, in her room with her untransformed partner on her bed, thinking about princes and figurines.

“It sounds like bootleg of Sleeping Beauty,” Marinette sighed. She didn’t even like the movie that much, except for the design of the clothes. They had nailed those, especially Maleficent. 

They fell into silence, trying to think of a solution. Well, Tikki and her, as Plagg was setting comfortably on her pillow as if he was going to take a nap.

“That’s it!” said Tikki brightly. “That’s how to lift off the curse!”

Marinette looked at her, curious. 

“You have to kiss him,” Tikki said, grinning maybe a little bit mischievously. 

Marinette’s heart stopped. She had to what? Plagg snorted. Could they not understand that the situation was serious? In the same day, she had learned that Adrien was Chat Noir, now he was sleeping in her bed, detrasnformed, and the cause of all that, this stupid supervillain, was still rampaging outside. And they proposed she kissed him? She scoffed. She was done with this. This situation was ridiculous.

“I’m not doing it.”

“Why? It’s the fastest and securest way to solve the problem! Plus, you’ve already done it,” Tikki said.

She didn’t need her to remind her of that. A vision of the events flashed in her mind and Marinette felt her cheeks redden.

“It was different! We were in a battle and he was trying to steal my miraculous! And I didn’t know his identity! I can’t do it, I can’t. There’s another solution anyway, isn’t it?” she babbled. “That’s what I’m going to do, I’ll transform, deal with Malice, he’ll wake up, in my room, here, and, and, argh! There are no good solutions! I’m cursed!”

“Well, you technically aren’t, but the boy is,” Plagg interjected.

Marinette glared at him and he grinned. 

Her cellphone ringed. Now was not the time, she thought, but she looked at it, just in case. It was Alya. Trembling, she willed herself to calm down, then answered the call. 

“Hey Alya!” she said nervously, “how are you?”

Act natural Marinette, act natural, she thought, trying to smile.

“Are you alright?” asked her friend. “You seem pale.”

So much for natural.

“No! Yes, I mean yes, I’m perfectly fine!” She could only hear her heart hammering in her chest. She checked to make sure Adrien was not in the sight of the camera. She wouldn’t know how to explain that.

“Uh, alright, well anyway, I called you because something really strange happened.”

“Oh?” 

“Yeah, I heard of a supervillain attack so I hurried to film it, but I hadn’t arrived at the scene that I saw Ladybug on a roof with Chat Noir in her arms. It seems he got hit by something, because Ladybug was going in the other direction than the villain was.”

A cold chill ran up her spine. People had seen them. What if someone had seen them on her roof?

“Mari?”

“Ah, hum, wow,” she managed to reply. “What about you, are you alright?”

“Yeah I am. I’m with Nino right now, he got it by laser thing too, but he only seems asleep. He shielded it for me actually. Would have been romantic if he didn’t slump on me afterwards. It seems he’s sleeping. Well anyway, I’ll call you back after all of this. Stay safe and see you later!”

“See you later…” Marinette mumbled, then the call ended and she stared at her phone. Alya was safe, Nino had also been cursed but Alya didn’t seem worried. Did she know about how to break it? They were going out anyway, so it shouldn’t bother her. How lucky for them, they didn’t have double identities to mix everything up. Marinette huffed. Adrien was still sleeping.

And people had seen them. 

She needed to solve this, right now.

“Marinette?” Tikki asked, worried.  
She looked at her, took a breath and exhaled. She needed to take control of the situation. She was Ladybug, Paris' savior, and she had a partner to save.

“Let’s do this, Tikki.”


	3. Breaking the Curse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette finally finds the courage to break Adrien's curse, but things are never easy with the superheroes pair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I finally wrote that. The chapter is a lot longer than I expected, so I'm not sure if the pacing is good, but I don't really want to work on it anymore hahaha oups
> 
> As always, thank you for reading !!

Marinette sat by Adrien’s side, her hands digging in her lap.

“You can do it, Marinette. You can do it, Marinette. You are Ladybug, you can do it. It’s just a kiss,” she muttered. She took deep breaths, closing her eyes.

“Are you doing it or not? We don’t have until tomorrow, y’know,” said Plagg.

“Argh! I know!” Marinette flailed. Out of rage, she threw her pillow against the wall.

She inhaled and grabbed Adrien’s shoulders and lowered herself, shutting her eyes.

“Wait!” said Tikki.

“What! I thought we were doing this?” asked Marinette, confused.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you were Ladybug when you kiss him? That way he won’t know your identity. You could also change location.”

“But that would be dangerous! People could see us and it would be hard to explain… Also, I feel bad about me knowing his civilian identity, but not him. He wished for it so much more than me, I would feel like a liar. A terrible, horrible liar,” Marinette said, shoulders slumped.

They stayed silent. Marinette was looking at nothing, mind elsewhere. Tikki spoke up:

“It’s your decision, Marinette. You should choose what is best for Chat Noir, but also for you. And I’m sure he would understand, because he knows how much you care about hiding your civilian identity. Do what puts you the most at ease, you can always tell him later!”

“If only I had never known… Everything would have been simpler. I’m not even sure anymore, this is just so complicated. What a weird twist of fate!” Marinette sighed. “I think… Being Ladybug would be the best. For now.”

Marinette looked for reassurance from her Kwami. Tikki’s smile steeled her resolved and she nodded at her.

“Alright Tikki, transform me!”

And in a flash, Marinette became Ladybug and instantly, the suit comforted her.

“So flashy,” Plagg mumbled.

She eyed him, but ignored it and looked down at Adrien. How was she going to carry him now? She couldn’t wander around Paris while hauling Adrien like a sack of potatoes, the scandal that would create! She needed a plan.

“This is so complicated,” she sighed.

“It’s you who’s making it complicated. Just kiss the boy and defeat Malice, simple,” said Plagg, still laying on her pillow.

“We already discussed of that.”

Marinette looked around her room. If she could find something, anything, to hide him from view…

She jumped from her bed, rummaging around her room. Then, she brandished a garment cover. Plagg raised an eyebrow.

Marinette put the garment cover next to Adrien, to gauge the height. It would be tight, but it would fit. Probably. She didn’t have anything else, anyway.

“Are you planning to stuck him in that? You are crazy. That’s gonna look so suspicious,” said Plagg.

“I know, I know! But I don’t have any other idea and time is running out! At least it will hide his identity until I find a quiet corner…”

Marinette began to put Adrien as gently as possible in the garment cover, but the task was revealing to be difficult. He was skinny, but more heavy than he looked like. Still, the harsh moves didn’t seem to disturb his slumber so Marinette resolved to move him a little bit more roughly.

“Boy is he tall!” she grumbled, pushing his legs so his whole body would enter. Plagg made no move to help her and merely looked at her, bored. Finally, she was done. She zipped the garment cover, making sure not to hurt him, and left a little space to give him air. Then she hauling him over her shoulder and opened her trap door.

“You’re coming?” she asked Plagg.

The Kwami didn’t answer, but hid in the garment cover. And they were off.

* * *

 

Marinette huffed and puffed as she deposed, more roughly than she intended, Adrien on a desert roof. She looked around, making sure there were no passerby, but the coast was clear. She had made sure to take the less frequented routes.

She dropped next to him, and glared at his peaceful expression. How could he be so carefree when they were in such a dire situation? She swore she would get back at him for that. Causing her to worry so much… She shook her head.

“Couldn’t you have been more delicate?” complained a nosy voice. Plagg appeared in her face, glaring at her. She stuck out her tongue at him.

She looked around again. She really was doing this. For a second time.

And just as the first time, Marinette knew she would feel much better once her partner was back to normal, up and smiling. Like he should be, with or without the mask.Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, eyes screwed shut. And kissed him.

It was a little bit clumsy, what’s with her inexperience and the fact that Adrien was unconscious. She got rid of the pang of guilt of kissing a sleeping person. There weren’t many other options right now and he was the one who got in trouble first, she thought.

The kiss lasted two seconds. Just as Adrien’s breath changed, Marinette quickly sat up, wringing her hands. How different it was from last time, when she had a cocky smile before kissing Chat. But faced with his civilian self instead, she felt spotless. Less Ladybug, more Marinette. Adrien frowned and she pulled herself together. She was Ladybug right now and had to act like it, even if it was more for her own sake.

Adrien blinked, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. Then he noticed her, and jerked away, cheeks a little red.

“L-Ladybug! You surprised me!” he said, scratching his neck. He chuckled. Adorable.

Ladybug smiled, and both looked away in silence, nervous.

“So hum,” he began again, “what are you up to? I mean, what’s going on and—where am I?” He was confused, and Ladybug realized she forgot to tell him anything. What was she supposed to say?

“You got hit again, kid,” said Plagg, finally appearing from the garment cover. Adrien jumped, eyes wild as he looked back and forth between the Kwami and Ladybug.

Pointing Plagg, he said with a fake laugh, “Wow! What is that? It talks?”

“Drop the act, she already knows,” said Plagg, hovering between the two teenagers.

“Oh,” was all Adrien could manage, his face blank.

It was so strange to see them interact. Very different from her and Tikki, too.

Finally, Adrien sighed, and his demeanor changed. He slouched a little, and his eyes became more earnest somehow. It suddenly hit Ladybug how guarded he looked while he was Adrien. A different kind of mask.

Then he pulled that shit eating grin. She frowned, feeling a spark of annoyance. They really were the same person. How could she have never seen it before?

“I guess the cat’s out of the bag then, uh?” he said, eyebrows wiggling.

Ladybug snapped.

“You!” she growled, “You dumb, stupid, back-alley cat! I can’t believe you did that! Do you know in how much trouble we’re in right now? And because you had to act all heroic and get hit! I had to haul you through all of Paris just to fix the mess you made!” she was rambling and she knew it, but nothing could stop her now. Nervousness became relief, quickly turned into anger. Did he even know how much he had scared her? Always pulling stupid acts… “And now you have the nerve to say stupid puns!”

Somehow, she had got up and was now pacing the roof, pointing at him, throwing her arms up in the air, then crossing them. Adrien was taken aback and was staring at her, mouth open. Plagg snickered at his side.

Ladybug swiveled at him and glared, almost growling. Plagg sobered up and hid behind his charge.

She exhaled, tired after running on high emotions for so long. She dropped to the ground, looking down. Adrien approached her, unsure of what to do. His hand hovered near her shoulder, but hesitated, and he pulled it back.

“I’m sorry,” he said, eyes downcast.

“No, no, no!” She pulled at her hair and hid her face behind her knees. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t be angry at you like that, I was just… It was stressful, is all. You scared me,” she said.

“Glad to know my Lady cares about me,” he said, grinning again. That look was much better on his face, she thought, and she smiled back.

Screams echoed from the streets, pulling them back to the current situation. They had completely forgotten about Malice.

Their eyes met, and they nodded. They would discuss the reveal another time because first, they had a city to save.

“Plagg, claws out!”

A flash of green blinded Ladybug, and the sight eased her. Her partner was back, safe and sound.

Turning around, yo-yo in hand, she was already running in direction of the screams. “Race you to the supervillain!” she said, and she heard him laugh beside her.

* * *

 

Ladybug and Chat Noir ran across the roofs, shouting taunts and quips at each other until they heard her evil laugh. It sent a shiver down their spines. Malice was quite the actress indeed.  
With a nod, Chat Noir jumped in front of her, readying is staff. Ladybug stayed on a roof, ready to attack when there was an opening. Unconsciously, she also admired her outfit. Since she had begun her superhero job, she had seen many villains, some with awful esthetic choices, others who had quite the fashion sense. Malice was one of them. With a design probably inspired by a crow, she wore a tight, dark suit that flowed on the arms and became a cape around the hips, dragging behind her. Simple lines were drawn across her chest and the arms to simulate minimalistic feathers. Strangely however, she also had horns on her head. And a scepter.

Ladybug shook her head and concentrated on finding the object in which the akuma resided, but made a note to sketch the design later. It really was interesting.

“Looking quite dark today!” taunted Chat, circling around her. “Did something ruffle your feathers?”

Ladybug held back a snort, but Malice sneered.

“How late you are, Ladybug and Chat Noir. Have you enjoyed my little gift? The cat seemed to want to take a nap,” Malice said, and Chat pouted. “Seems like you broke the curse, Ladybug. So adorable, the princess became the prince.”

Ladybug’s cheeks reddened and she threw her yo-yo at her, as Chat Noir threw her a confused look.

Malice dodged her attack, cackling. And before they could do anything else, she curtsied and fled.

Shocked, the superheroes stayed immobile, looking after her. However, they quickly snapped out of it and ran after her.

“Where do you think the akuma is?” said Chat Noir, running on all four beside her.

“I’m not sure. Nothing strikes me as a personal belonging, so I would bet on the scepter? Maybe it’s a prop.”

“Maybe she got cast as the villain but wanted the princess part,” said Chat Noir.

“That’s not a bad theory, actually. Not bad kitty, you can be useful sometimes,” Ladybug said, smiling down at him.

He stuck out his tongue at her and she chuckled.

Finally, they caught up to her, stopping on the roof of the Comédie-Française. Below, Malice was reciting some monologues with dramatic flair, with a sleeping public around her. Hearing them, she turned to face them and smiled. It looked so devious, Ladybug suppressed a shudder.

“How’s the play so far, superheroes? You are now standing on the Comédie-Française, one of Paris’ most reputed theater, the one where Molière has played his last play, with his dying breath. I, too, will be known across the world as one of the most talented actress! But do you know what could make all of this even better?” Malice said, her eyes glinting.

Ladybug gestured to Chat, and he nodded before jumping down, approaching the villain warily.

“A grandiose finale?” said Chat, attracting her attention. “How about we defeat you in a grand battle and the knight gets to kiss the princess?” he said, and he winked at Ladybug, who made a face and readied her yo-yo.

“So cliché! No, I shall take your miraculous instead!” shouted Malice, and with her scepter, shot a magic beam at Chat Noir. He dodged it with a roll, got up and ran to her, but other beams followed and he had to block it with his staff, circling around her so Malice would have her back turned to the Comédie-Française.

Ladybug dropped down silently, approaching with her yo-yo in hand. Then, with a quick movement, Chat Noir disarmed Malice. She cried and tried to catch her scepter, but Ladybug was faster. Throwing her yo-yo, Ladybug caught the flying scepter and broke it on her knee. It snapped in half.

“Don’t damage the props!” Malice screamed.

Satisfied, Ladybug let the scepter fall on the ground, waiting for the akuma. But nothing happened. She looked at the broken scepter, unsure.

They fell back in fighting position, yo-yo and staff in hand. Ladybug thought hard. The scepter wasn’t the object. Then what was it? She scrutinized Malice again, but found nothing.

“This is most unfortunate,” said Malice, walking backwards. “You shall pay for this, Ladybug and Chat Noir.” She disappeared in a flurry of black feathers, and a crow flew away. Just before it was out of sight however, Ladybug noticed a slip of paper hanging from the crow’s leg.

“Well, that was dramatic,” said Chat Noir, walking towards her. He sneezed suddenly. “Urgh, I hate feathers. Do we chase her?”

Ladybug crossed her arms, thinking. She looked up at him, and seeing his eyes glinting with amusement, something squirmed in her guts. She diverted her head in the direction Malice had flown.

“I think this will require some planning,” Ladybug said. “I think I found the akuma. It’s in the paper slip on her leg.”

Chat blinked, and sneezed again. Ladybug eyeing him curiously.

“I’m allergic to feathers, alright? This is so embarrassing,” he muttered, rubbing his nose.

Ladybug chuckled. “I think it’s cute.”

Chat scratched the back of his head with a dumb grin, “Really?”

“Yes, yes. Now stop looking so pleased. The plan now is that I use Lucky Charm, and then we follow up with whatever I get.”

“Such a plan,” joked Chat Noir and she elbowed him. “How are we going to find her again, though? Paris is big.”

“So is the Internet,” Ladybug replied, showing him her yo-yo. On it was displayed the Ladyblog, reporting that a crow believed to be the supervillain was making a ruckus inside a school. “Probably searching for a spare of her destroyed scepter.”

“Good thinking, milady.”

Ladybug smiled, attaching her yo-yo to her hip.

“Let’s get this done with.”

* * *

 

They arrived at none other than their own school, the college Françoise Dupont.

“Seriously? What’s up with that school? Why do most supervillains end up here?” Chat Noir said.

“Let’s just find the supervillain,” Ladybug said, entering the school with a sigh. The day was long.

As soon as they stepped in, they heard screams. Students ran out of a classroom and they had to step out so they wouldn’t be crushed in the general panic.

They nodded at each other, suddenly serious, and sprinted in the classroom. Malice was in the back, searching in cardboard boxes. At their footsteps, she turned around and upon seeing them, turned back into a crow to fly out of the window.

“Stop her!” Ladybug said. Chat ran to her, staff in hand to block the way. “Lucky Charm!” shouted Ladybug, and a net fell into her hands.

She dashed, jumping over the desks, and threw the net as the crow was flying away. Malice fell to the ground, cawing. Chat sneezed, and took the paper from her leg.

“À vos souhaits,” Ladybug teased. Chat huffed at her and tore the paper in two, releasing the akuma. In one swift movement, Ladybug caught it in her yo-yo and purified it. She then bent down to take the net, threw it in the air and shout the magic formula, “Miraculous Ladybug!” Ladybugs appeared and left through the window to mend Paris and its citizens.

“Glad this is over, I’m sick of feathers,” sighed Chat Noir, sniffling.

“Me too. I feel like sleeping a million years.”

He laughed and they fist bumped just as the crow turned back into a girl with a gentle face. They helped her up and explained what happened. With red cheeks, the girl explained that she got mad when she was cast as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty instead of Maleficent.

“I mean, isn’t her costume the best? And she’s just so sassy, it’s my dream to act as her… But they told me I couldn’t pull it off because I was too gentle,” the girl sighed.

“For the costume, you’re definitely right. And if it can console you, with the performance you gave today, I think you can act as Maleficent perfectly,” Ladybug said, putting her hand on the girl’s shoulder. The girl beamed at her, and pride blossomed in Marinette’s chest.

The girl left, thanking them as they stayed behind. Now alone, Ladybug noticed how Chat Noir grew nervous, fidgeting and passing a hand through his messy hair.

“What’s up?” Ladybug asked him.

“You know, about this whole identity stuff…,” he said, making a vague hand gesture. “We said we would talk about it after this is all over.”

Chat looked at her with scared eyes, pupils wide. She turned cold. During the fight, she was concentrated on something else, so she could forget all about it. But now it came rushing back to her mind: the fear, the kiss, the awkwardness. She didn’t want to deal with that. She never wanted to know. But at the same time, he was her friend. Her partner, but also her friend, both with and without the mask. Someone she couldn’t lie to, no matter what.

He seemed to notice her uneasiness and he stepped backwards, shuffling his feet.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. We can just ignore this all happened. Be like it always was, like today,” he said, eyes downcast, a sad smile on his face. So unfitting of him.

That’s wrong, she thought. He didn’t deserve that, he didn’t have to be this guarded with her, to keep everything inside. She fisted her hands, taking a deep breath.

“We can take it slowly, maybe start, I don’t know, with—”

She was interrupted by her earrings, reminding her that she had few minutes left before she untransformed. He stared at her, hypnotizing her with his green eyes, but he understood that she wouldn’t show him her identity just yet.

“Let’s talk about it next time, maybe on patrol,” Ladybug said, walking to the window with her yo-yo in hand. “It’s, well, it’s not a bad thing, you know. Just have to get used to it.” She smiled at him, and he did too, albeit a little.

“Just know that you have friends that are there for you. With or without the mask,” she said, poking his nose. And with a wave of her hand, she was off.

Ladybug knew that he stayed behind, looking at her running away. She hoped that she didn’t hurt him too badly.

And as she hid behind a tree in a lonely park, she realized they didn’t talk about the kiss, as if he didn’t remember.

* * *

 

Adrien sighed. He was at his desk, on the Ladyblog as per his routine. After every fight, he would go home and check the new articles and the videos. What he was looking at, he wasn’t sure. Reassurance that he was needed? Ladybug reminded him of the fact often, he didn’t felt left out simply because the population liked Ladybug better. Clues to her identity, then? Each time he found a little information, he always felt bad. No, he told himself, he was looking for some hints as to her feelings about him. As Chat Noir, he made sure to be as obvious as one could be, but clearly that wasn’t working. She probably thought he was joking, as anyone in their right mind would be. Flirting with puns. Terrible.

He had tried to seriously confess. But that hadn’t ended up well, with him almost killing her with Dark Cupid’s power. He shuddered at the idea. The details were still fuzzy to him, and he wasn’t quite sure how it had ended, but everything had gone back to normal, so he tried to forget about it.

Now, however, things were a little bit different. She had learned of it civilian identity, and not in a good way. When he had woken up on that roof, he was terrified. She had reacted way better than he imagined, though, and as if nothing had happened, they had fought alongside each other like any other day. But Adrien knew that their relationship wouldn’t be the same. He would want more. Was it egoistical of him to want more, to learn more about her? He wasn’t sure.

What’s more, she had said some curious things today. As if she knew something he didn’t. Maybe it was related to the fact that he was unconscious for a good part of the day.

As he perused the Ladyblog, he found an amateur video where he was hit by the magic beam while protecting Ladybug. He watched himself slump to the ground. Watched Ladybug turn around, scream his name and hurry to his side, checking him for an injury. He felt bad. Then surprised when he saw her haul him on her shoulder and run away. He chuckled at the sight. Such a knight he was.

She really did care about him.

It made him grin. She didn’t always show it, but she really did care. Still, he didn’t like to scare her, so he rewatched the footage, analyzing if he could have saved her from the beam while dodging it. A ping! attracted his attention. The Ladyblog had posted a new article. He clicked on the notification, and froze.

“Plagg,” Adrien called, his eyes never leaving the monitors. He was dizzy. “What did happen when I was unconscious?”

Plagg grunted, dragging himself from his spot on the bed to sit on his shoulder. He looked at the screens where in very, very big, bold, cap letters, was quite the clickbait title: “DID LADYBUG KISS CHAT NOIR TO BREAK THE CURSE?”

**Author's Note:**

> Edited: 13/07/2017
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it !


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